Botswana signs landmark outsourcing deal with UAE’s CCI Global
GABORONE, BOTSWANA — Botswana has taken a significant step toward economic diversification by signing a groundbreaking business process outsourcing (BPO) agreement with UAE-based CCI Global.
In a LinkedIn post, the company said this is Botswana’s first major BPO initiative and thus places Botswana on the map of the competitive outsourcing landscape in Africa. Statista projects Botswana’s BPO market to reach $47.9 million in 2025.
CCI Global is ranked #193 in the recently launched OA500 2025, an objective index of the world’s top 500 outsourcing companies.
Strategic move to combat youth unemployment
The partnership took place five years after the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) selected BPO as one of its key sectors for diversification. This initiative is in line with Botswana’s International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) strategy to shift from reliance on mineral resources, especially diamonds.
Montlenyane Baaitse, the government spokesperson, pointed out the significance of the deal stating that, “The partnership represents Botswana’s first major BPO initiative and positions the nation as a strategic player in Africa’s dynamic outsourcing sector.”
Baaitse also mentioned that the agreement is likely to create much-needed employment and nurture the growth of this new industry.
Leveraging competitive advantages
In recent years, Botswana has begun to leverage its strengths to compete in the global BPO market. This, according to Baaitse, makes Botswana well-positioned to emerge as a leader in outsourcing operations in the region due to its “stable political environment, highly educated and multilingual workforce, [and] competitive cost structure.”
Martin Roe, the CEO of CCI Global, shared his optimism for the country’s potential, stating that the company’s selection of Botswana as its new hub “signifies the country as a premier hub for high-quality BPO services in Africa.”
The development is the culmination of processes that started as far back as 2018 when BITC started reinvigorating BPO to create employment. The Botswana Call Centre Forum (BCCF), set up in 2004 as the industry’s apex body, has been rather dormant in the past few years but could become relevant again after this deal.
To prepare to join the global BPO market, BITC has done benchmarking exercises in the past that involved reputable contact center companies from established BPO markets such as India and South Africa.
This milestone agreement is evidence of Botswana’s drive to move away from its previous economic model and develop a strong base for providing international business services to the continent.
